


Look At Me

by settersprouts



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Iwaizumi Hajime Is So Done, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru Fluff, M/M, Makki and Mattsun are good friends, Mutual Pining, Oblivious Iwaizumi Hajime, Oikawa's mom is decent sort of, Oikawa's parents can go to hell, Pining Iwaizumi Hajime, Pining Oikawa Tooru, They're both oblivious, but so is oikawa, oikawa is sad
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-04
Updated: 2021-03-11
Packaged: 2021-03-17 21:01:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 11,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29847441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/settersprouts/pseuds/settersprouts
Summary: 𝘽𝙤𝙤𝙢.Oikawa heard the ball connect with the ground, then bounce a couple times before rolling to a stop. He let out a faint gasp, realizing what just happened. The orange-haired first-year stood at the opposite side of the net, realization dawning on him as well.𝘊𝘩𝘪𝘣𝘪-𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘕𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭𝘴.
Relationships: Hanamaki Takahiro/Matsukawa Issei, Hinata Shouyou/Kageyama Tobio, Iwaizumi Hajime/Oikawa Tooru, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou
Comments: 2
Kudos: 29





	1. 00 : 01

**Author's Note:**

> hey don't repost my stuff please  
> you can also find this story on quotev ( url @ kodzukenken )  
> its my account so chile

I hate him.

Oikawa stiffened at the sight, watching the ends of Tobio-Chan's lips curl upwards. It made Oikawa sick to his stomach. He could feel the acid inside start to churn, and his blood boiling. It was the exact same feeling that he had felt back at Kitagawa Daiichi, when his fist had almost connected with dear Tobio-Chan's face. A hand clasped Oikawa's shoulder, and he shivered a little. When looking back over his shoulder, he saw his dear friend Iwaizumi Hajime glaring at him. Oikawa's stomach did a couple of somersaults before settling back down again. It's just Iwa-Chan. Chill out, Toorū.

Iwaizumi's unsettling glare rested on Oikawa's face for a little longer, before it softened and the hand on his shoulder became lighter. That same hand lifted up to Oikawa's face, and wiped a tear that Oikawa didn't even know had escaped from his chocolate-coloured eyes. 

Not a word escaped from Iwaizumi's lips, but his olive-coloured eyes spoke all the words Oikawa needed to hear. It's okay, Shittykawa. We did our best.

But our best wasn't enough, Iwa-Chan. It wasn't enough. I wasn't enough.

Don't think like that. You did amazing.

What kind of Captain am I if my best form still caused us to lose?

There's no 'I' in team, Shittykawa. 

But there is one in Aoba Johsai. And I wasn't enough for it. We're not going to Nationals because of me. How are we supposed to beat Ushiwaka now?

Iwaizumi and Oikawa were so focused on each other that they didn't hear the referee blow the whistle, didn't hear the cheers from Karasuno's fellow classmates, didn't hear Coach Mizoguchi telling them to line up to shake the opposing team's hands. They probably would've stood in the middle of the court for hours and hours on end if Hanamaki and Matsukawa hadn't tapped them on the shoulders and motioned for them to line up. Oikawa was the first to turn away from his and Iwaizumi's little mental quarrel, leaving his best friend watching his back growing smaller and smaller as he walked away from him. Iwaizumi knew exactly what kind of meaningless thoughts were going inside his head right now, and he hated the fact that Oikawa dared to let them in. But the fact that Iwaizumi couldn't do anything to help him erase those brain-less and incredibly dense thoughts of his from his head pissed him off even more. What the hell kind of shitty friend was Oikawa, if he didn't trust Iwaizumi enough to let him in ?

Iwaizumi stalked over to his team, the veins in his forehead popping out. His anger seemed to be spilling out all over the place, like he was a glass cup, and his frustrations were the water inside. If he wasn't careful, the cup would shatter, and the water would go everywhere.

He felt a hand on his back, which pushed him down into a bow. He looked at Oikawa, who was currently staring at the ground like it would open up and swallow him at any second. Iwaizumi could tell his best friend was struggling to hold back the tears in his eyes.

"Thank you for coming to watch us play!" Seijoh shouted to their classmates and the rest of the people in the stands that were watching them intently. A slow round of applause filled the stadium, everyone giving Aoba Johsai their respects. A good match was played. Both teams had fought well.

The appreciation was accepted half-heartedly. The members of Seijoh's team were either frustrated, holding back their tears, or standing quietly, not moving, not speaking. 

Coach Irihata and Vice Coach Mizoguchi glanced at the team's captain, who hadn't said a word since the match ended. He just stood there with an expression neither of them could name, one they had never seen before in their lives. It wasn't like him to look so. . upset? No, that wasn't the word.

It wasn't like Oikawa to look so lifeless. 

⊱ ─ ‧̥̥͙⋅. ♔ .⋅‧̥̥͙ ─ ⊰

"Good job today guys." Iwaizumi clapped Hanamaki and Matsukawa on the back, nodding to the rest of the third-years, who all had tears brimming in their eyes. Iwaizumi turned to Oikawa, expecting him to say something as well. But the brunette just turned his head to the side, unable to look everyone in the eyes. Letting out a huff, Iwaizumi continued. "I'm so proud of you all. Oikawa is too."

"And us!" Hanamaki piped up, his energy unable to be quenched, even with the sudden turn of events in the match. "We had an amazing time continuing to play with you guys, all the way until the end. And we don't regret a single second of it!" He nudged Matsukawa, who was already nodding in agreement. 

Oikawa sniffled, rubbing his nose. Everyone turned towards him, hoping for a speech. Hanamaki narrowed his eyes at Oikawa's facial expression, figuring out what the captain was about to do. "Hey, don't! We're trying to leave this on a happy note, you can't-"

"Shut up!" The setter shouted, Hanamaki quickly closing his mouth. Oikawa looked at them, smiling widely with tears in his eyes. "Everyone! Thank you for these last three years!" He shouted, tears streaming down Oikawa's face. At this, tears were flowing like waterfalls out of everyone's eyes. Even Iwaizumi. Just those few words caused the mindset their captain managed to establish in everyone to crumble in just a few seconds. It was all starting to fall apart. The nightmare becoming a reality. They weren't going to Nationals, and it was their last chance to. Even if Oikawa had managed to aid in making Aoba Johsai one of the biggest powerhouse schools in Miyagi, it wasn't enough apparently.

Oikawa turned, picked up the volleyball he was messing around with, and tossed it into the bin. When he turned back around, everyone saw the immense amount of pain lining his face. The expression he had tried to hold in after the match, to save it for later when he was all alone, and no one would see him crumble. No one would hear his pain.

But he pushed his feelings aside for the moment, wiping his face and picking up another volleyball. "Alright guys, let's pack it up! We're going to get some extra rest tonight; we deserve it."

⊱ ─ ‧̥̥͙⋅. ♔ .⋅‧̥̥͙ ─ ⊰

"Bye Oikawa, Iwaizumi! See you guys later!" Hanamaki said, smiling at the other third-years. 

Oikawa waved. "See ya, Makki, Mattsun~!" He watched as they walked away, waiting until they looked like tiny ants in the distance. He turned around suddenly, walking towards home along with Iwaizumi.

Most of the journey home was spent in silence, alongside a couple of mini arguments between the two third-years. Iwaizumi looked at Oikawa's face, taking in his features. Like him, his eyes were red and puffy, as the both of them had cried their eyes out after getting back to Aoba Johsai. Iwaizumi stopped suddenly, which drew Oikawa's attention as he stopped as well.

"Iwa-chan? Something wrong?" Oikawa asked, tilting his head to the right a little bit.

"Yeah, idiot. You blaming yourself is what's wrong." Iwaizumi crossed his arms over his chest, frowning at Oikawa. "You need to stop being such a dumbass, and use that stupid brain of yours."

Oikawa frowned right back at him. "Aw Iwa, why do you have to be so mean~?" He turned to the side a little, waving him off. "If you want to give me some advice, do it nicely then."

"Do you want me to hit you that badly?"

"NO, THANK YOU."

Iwaizumi smiled a little bit. "Hey. I just wanted to let you know, you're the most amazing partner, and the absolute best setter. We're most likely going to be on different teams in the future, but those facts won't change. And, one day, I'll beat you."

Oikawa turned to look at him, smiling at his little speech. "Bring it on." Iwaizumi's hand slowly left his side, his fist closed. Oikawa's hand did the same, and they met halfway, their knuckles touching each other as they fist-bumped.

"We all did great today. So, don't beat yourself up about it, or I'll kill you. Understand?"

Oikawa sighed, then nodded. As he was walking away, he teased Iwaizumi a little. "You need to stop being so mean sometimes, Iwa-chan. Maybe one day I just won't listen to you!"

"Ha! Doubt it."


	2. 00 : 02

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iwaizumi smiled a little bit. "Hey." Oikawa turned to look at him, just in time to see Iwaizumi's hand slowly leave his side, his fist closed. Oikawa's hand did the same, and they met halfway, their knuckles touching each other as they fist-bumped. "We all did great today. So, don't beat yourself up about it, or I'll kill you. Understand?" Oikawa sighed, then nodded. As he was walking away, he teased Iwaizumi a little.   
>    
> "You need to stop being so mean sometimes, Iwa-chan. Maybe one day I just won't listen to you!"
> 
> "Ha! Doubt it."

Iwaizumi flopped onto his bed as soon as he got home, turning over and looking at the ceiling. His family kept bothering him about the match, saying things like "oh, you did great son!" or "it's okay. it's not the end of the world!" 

Yeah, sure it wasn't. But it was the end of his and Oikawa's shared dream.

Iwaizumi glanced at the little glow-in-the-dark stars stuck onto his ceiling. He remembered how he got those. Oikawa had put them up when they were younger, since he was afraid of the dark and the nightlight Iwaizumi used to use was way too bright for either of them to sleep. He probably should've taken them down when they didn't really need them anymore, but they meant something to Oikawa back then. Those little stars were one of the many souvenirs Iwaizumi had of his best friend. It was like proof that he was close with the Oikawa Toorū. 

. . And Iwaizumi really couldn't take them down. It was physically impossible: the adhesive stuck to the back of the stars were too strong, and no matter how hard Iwaizumi pulled, the damn stars wouldn't come off. 

Beep.

Iwaizumi turned to his side, getting his phone from off the nightstand.

New Message : ꜱʜɪᴛᴛʏᴋᴀᴡᴀ 👽

"Damn, what the hell does this bastard want now?" Iwaizumi clicked on the notification, bringing up the messages between him and Oikawa.

. .

[from] ꜱʜɪᴛᴛʏᴋᴀᴡᴀ 👽: iwa-chan !

[to] ꜱʜɪᴛᴛʏᴋᴀᴡᴀ 👽: What now, I just saw you like 20 minutes ago

[from] ꜱʜɪᴛᴛʏᴋᴀᴡᴀ 👽: ughh iwa you're so mean

[to] ꜱʜɪᴛᴛʏᴋᴀᴡᴀ 👽: Yeah okay. What?

[from] ꜱʜɪᴛᴛʏᴋᴀᴡᴀ 👽: can i come over ? 

[to] ꜱʜɪᴛᴛʏᴋᴀᴡᴀ 👽: Ew no, wtf?

[from] ꜱʜɪᴛᴛʏᴋᴀᴡᴀ 👽: iwaaaaaaaaaaa~ (｡•́︿•̀｡)

[to] ꜱʜɪᴛᴛʏᴋᴀᴡᴀ 👽: Why?

[from] ꜱʜɪᴛᴛʏᴋᴀᴡᴀ 👽: im just having trouble sleeping,, plus i just wanna be with you rn

. .

Iwaizumi blushed at the last text Oikawa had sent. Damn.. As much as I despise him and his stupid face, that was kind of cute. Realizing what kind of thoughts were popping up in his head, Iwaizumi smacked both sides of his face. Fuck. What the hell am I thinking?

. .

[from] ꜱʜɪᴛᴛʏᴋᴀᴡᴀ 👽: iwa? you there?

[to] ꜱʜɪᴛᴛʏᴋᴀᴡᴀ 👽: Yeah, I'm here. Shut up.  
[to] ꜱʜɪᴛᴛʏᴋᴀᴡᴀ 👽: You can come over. I don't care.

[from] ꜱʜɪᴛᴛʏᴋᴀᴡᴀ 👽: yay ! thanks iwa ♡

[to] ꜱʜɪᴛᴛʏᴋᴀᴡᴀ 👽: Shut up. You sleeping over, or staying for a couple hours?

[from] ꜱʜɪᴛᴛʏᴋᴀᴡᴀ 👽: can i sleep over?

[to] ꜱʜɪᴛᴛʏᴋᴀᴡᴀ 👽: Yeah.  
[to] ꜱʜɪᴛᴛʏᴋᴀᴡᴀ 👽: My mom's cooking dinner. Want me to save you some?

[from] ꜱʜɪᴛᴛʏᴋᴀᴡᴀ 👽: no, i'm not hungry.

[to] ꜱʜɪᴛᴛʏᴋᴀᴡᴀ 👽: Alright, I'll save you some. Hurry up before it gets cold.

[from] ꜱʜɪᴛᴛʏᴋᴀᴡᴀ 👽: i don't want any- yk what nvm  
[from] ꜱʜɪᴛᴛʏᴋᴀᴡᴀ 👽: be there in ten !

[to] ꜱʜɪᴛᴛʏᴋᴀᴡᴀ 👽: mk.

. .

"Hajime! Dinner's ready!" Iwaizumi perked up as he heard his mother calling for him. He answered with a blunt, "Coming ma!," and bolted down the stairs.

"Hey, Oikawa's coming over tonight," Iwaizumi said as he sat down. "Can you save him some food? Knowing him, he probably hasn't eaten since the match."

Mrs. Iwaizumi nodded. "Of course! I'm so glad he's coming over, I love that boy. Such a sweetheart." When Iwaizumi snorted at her comment, she hit him lightly on the back of the head. "Don't do that, Hajime. He's a sweet boy." She spooned some miso soup into a small bowl, passing it to her son. "And don't act like you don't care about him either. I can see right through that little façade of yours."

Iwaizumi groaned and shoved a spoonful of the semi-salty broth into his mouth. "Sure. Do we have any milk bread?"

"No, I do have Kashipan though. They're similar, right?" She passed the buns to Iwaizumi, who shrugged.

"Yeah, sure."

After about fifteen minutes of the Iwaizumi family eating their dinner, they heard a knock at the door. "Ah, that must be Crappykawa."

Iwaizumi's mother glared at him when she heard that. "Hajime, don't call Toorū that. Like I said, he's a sweet boy." She walked over to the front door, fiddling with the locks and swinging it open. "Welcome Toorū- dear god, what happened to you?"

When he heard the shock in his mother's voice, he shoved aside his food and sprinted to the door. Oikawa stood in front of him, wearing a very soiled alien hoodie with the hood up and over his eyes. Iwaizumi could just make out the newly made bruises on his friend's jaw though, and the tear stains on his cheeks. Oikawa sniffled, fiddling with the hem of his hoodie. "Um. . can I come in. ?"

Iwaizumi and his mother quickly stood aside, ushering Oikawa into their home. Iwaizumi's mother put a hand on Oikawa's shoulder, not noticing the way the boy had winced at her touch, and steered him into their dining room. "Honey, would you like some food?"

Oikawa sniffled again, nodding. "Yeah. . do you have any milk bread?"

Iwaizumi shook his head. "Not at the moment, I can ask my old man to buy some for you. He's at the market right now." Oikawa nodded in response, and Iwaizumi took out his phone, sending a quick text to his father. "You need to eat right now, though. We have miso and kashipan. Eat some of that before you get your milk bread."

Iwaizumi passed some food over to Oikawa when he sat down. His own food disregarded, he watched as Oikawa ate slowly, taking in all his features. His hood was still up, so he couldn't see the rest of his face, but he could see how much it hurt him to make small, simple movements. Every time he lifted the spoon up to his mouth, his hand shook a little, and he winced occasionally. Something panged inside Iwaizumi's chest as he watched Oikawa eat. His heart hurt a lot, more than usual. What the hell was this feeling?

Oikawa pushed the bowl away from him, messing with the hem of his hoodie again. "Um. . I'm kind of full."

Iwaizumi looked at Oikawa's bowl- about a sixth of the soup was missing. Oikawa hadn't even touched the kashipan. "Crappykawa, you need to eat way more than that. You barely touched your food." He was about to force the food down his throat when he noticed his pained expression. "H-hey Oikawa, you alright. ?"

Oikawa gagged, putting a hand over his mouth. "Mrgh. Feel s-sick."

Iwaizumi stood up abruptly, helping Oikawa up and walking him to the bathroom. "How sick?"

"Feel like I'm gonna die, sick." Iwaizumi snickered a little at that, causing a slight smile to erupt on Oikawa's face. "W-wait. Where are we going?"

"Bathroom. You need to clean up." Iwaizumi opened the door and set Oikawa on the toilet, pulling a little first-aid kit out of the cabinet under the sink. Oikawa glanced at it nervously, thinking Iwaizumi was going tend to his wounds. But much to his surprise, Iwaizumi just set the box on the sink counter, and walked out of the room. "I'm going to go get you some of my clothes, and a towel. Set those in the basket, I'll clean them later."

The door clicked, and Oikawa heard Iwaizumi shuffle off to his room. He smiled a little, thankful that his friend respected his boundaries. He heard a knock on the bathroom door, replying with a small "come in." Iwaizumi opened the door, setting a towel and a set of clothes on the counter. 

"If you need help with anything, let me know, okay?"

"Mmm." Iwaizumi closed the door when he heard Oikawa's reply, and walked to his room. He sat on his bed, throwing a volleyball up in the air, catching it when it came too close to his face. After a couple minutes, he heard the faint sssshhhhh of the shower faucet being turned on, and the shower curtains closing. Good. At least Crappykawa's cleaning up. He lay still, listening to the shower run, spreading out his arms and legs like a starfish. He must have lost track of time, because when he opened his eyes, Oikawa was sitting at the foot of his bed, scrolling through his phone while drying his hair.

"Crappykawa?" Oikawa turned around quickly, shutting off his phone in the process. Iwaizumi noticed this, but decided not to pry. "I didn't even hear you come in. How long have you been here?"

Oikawa shrugged. "Not long. Maybe like, a couple of minutes?" He resumed to the task of drying his hair, squeezing the water onto the light grey towel.

"Ah, I see." Iwaizumi watched Oikawa, tapping a finger against his chin. "Need help?"

"Um. . sure." His friend scooted closer to him, and handed him the towel. Iwaizumi ruffled up his hair, the towel making it ten times fluffier than it usually was. "Uh. Can I tell you something?"

"Sure."

Oikawa fumbled with his shirt, it being a too big for him, since he had a leaner build. Iwaizumi thought it was cute. "You have to promise you won't tell anyone, though."

"Yeah, of course."

Oikawa took a deep breath, tears spilling out of his eyes once again. "M-my parents. . I don't feel safe with them. As soon as I got home, they yelled at me a lot because we lost the match. Um. I got mad and screamed at them too, but my dad hit me, and it got all out of control. They just kept hitting me, like I was their punching bag." He sniffed. "It hurt. It hurt a lot, Iwa. I thought they loved me. I thought-"

The third-year setter was cut short by arms being wrapped around his waist. "Shut the hell up, Shittykawa. Don't worry about a damn thing. I'll take care of everything."

"How? You can't do anything, you're not that much older than me and I couldn't even do anything." Oikawa sniffled again. "It's not like anyone would believe me anyways, or even care. A lot of people hate me, Iwa-chan."

"Yeah, well. Those who hate you can go on a date with my fist. They just don't really know who you really are inside. They just know who you want them to see. Some self-centered, cocky, arrogant, stupid bastard." Oikawa let out a little 'hey!' which made Iwaizumi laugh, before continuing. "But, I know who that self-centered, cocky, arrogant, stupid bastard really is on the inside. And it's someone I've grown to admire, no matter how much he pisses me off."

"Awe, Iwaaa~!" Oikawa flung his arms around Iwaizumi, making them fall down onto the bed. "Thank you, that was super sweet~"

Iwaizumi blushed. "N-no problem, Shittykawa. Now, get off of me."

Oikawa bit his lip a little and frowned. "But Iwaa. I thought you said you were going to help make me feel better!" Ignoring Iwaizumi's "when the hell did I say that" comment, he spread out his arms and made little gesturing motions with his hands. "I want cuddles, like the ones we used to give each other when we were younger!"

"Aren't we too old for that now?"

"No one's too old for cuddles, Iwa-chan!"

Iwaizumi scoffed, turning Oikawa around and spooning him. "There, happy?"

"Mmm." Oikawa responded, intertwining his fingers with Iwaizumi's. "Thanks, Iwa."

". . Shut up."


	3. 00 : 03

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "No one's too old for cuddles, Iwa-chan!"
> 
> Iwaizumi scoffed, turning Oikawa around and spooning him. "There, happy?"
> 
> "Mmm." Oikawa responded, intertwining his fingers with Iwaizumi's. "Thanks, Iwa."
> 
> ". . Shut up."

"Mmm." Oikawa's chocolate colored eyes fluttered open, taking in the sunlight leaking in from behind the blinds. The first thing he noticed as he woke up was the fact that-

'This isn't my room.' The third-year setter sat up abruptly, looking around frantically. Was I kidnapped? Where am I? Where's Iwa-chan? Last thing I remember was- just then, his eyes laid to rest on a sleeping Iwaizumi, who had come to rest right next to him. He had his brawny arms around Oikawa's waist, his leg flung over like he was holding a big stuffed animal. A blush rose in Oikawa's cheeks, as he diverted his attention to anything but him. C'mon. Look somewhere else. Don't look at his cute- I mean- stupid face. He's going to kill you when he wakes up.

Oikawa tried slipping out of Iwaizumi's grasp, but failed miserably. Each time he got close to freeing himself, the other would groan and pull him closer. After a couple minutes of losing this miniature battle with Iwaizumi, he gave up and reached for his phone on the nightstand. The device turned on in his hand automatically since it sensed the motion, and a bunch of messages popped up on his lockscreen.

4 messages from ✨ Makki✨

2 messages from ✬ Mattsun ✬

7 messages from ♡ Rooster-head ♡

Oikawa sighed, rubbing his temples. Just looking at the messages gives me a headache. He clicked on Kuroo's messages, not wanting to leave him waiting for the setter's reply any longer.

. .

[from] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: oi, oikawa  
[from] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: how's it going  
[from] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: hey  
[from] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: you  
[from] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: heyyyyy  
[from] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: you there?  
[from] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: i heard what happened, how you holdin' up? 

[to] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: hey, kuroo. i'm fine, thanks for worrying though!

[from] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: and that is how i know you're not fine-  
[from] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: you're using punctuation. 

[to] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: u H- why can't i use proper punctuation?

[from] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: you can it's just, you don't.

[to] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: you sir, are incredibly smart.

[from] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: pff, i know right? so, wanna talk about it?

[to] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: maybe. we can meet up soon?

[from] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: sure. you're still coming to watch, right?

[to] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: maybe, i dunno though. i hope karasuno n shiratorizawa both fail, though

[from] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: LMAO you're messed up

[to] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: could say the same about you

[from] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: ah, got me there. i'll text you a restaurant location after my matches.[from] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: udon or ramen

[to] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: udon

[from] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: alright. i'll find someplace  
[from] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: imma get ready, ttyl

[to] ♡ʀᴏᴏꜱᴛᴇʀ-ʜᴇᴀᴅ♡: bye.

. .

Oikawa sighed once again, scrolling through the other messages he had from Matsukawa and Hanamaki. They didn't really differ from each other : it was just them asking where to meet up later for the qualifiers. He quickly texted them both an answer, saying Iwa would pick them up.

"Mmm." Iwaizumi groaned, making Oikawa's eyes flick over to his friend's face. "Oh. Morning, Kawa."

"Morning." Oikawa hummed in response, setting his phone aside to give Iwaizumi a quick hug. "Get ready, you're going to pick up Makki and Mattsun to watch the rest of the matches." Iwaizumi lifted his arm so Oikawa could leave his warm embrace, and blushed a bit when the setter started taking off his clothes. 

"T-trashykawa, the hell are you doing?"

He turned around. "Changing. Is it okay if I use some of your clothes again? I'll wash them as soon as we get back, I promise. I just need something to wear when I walk home."

Iwaizumi nodded quickly. "Sure, whatever, just- hurry up and change already." A couple minutes passed of Oikawa looking through his closet when the gears in Iwaizumi's head started shifting. "Wait, walk home?"

Oikawa turned around, pulling on one of Iwaizumi's large Godzilla sweatshirts. "Mhm. My parents are already worried enough as is, I need to get home before they get even more pissed at me." He pulled off his shorts to reveal regular black boxer briefs, which caught Iwaizumi by surprise. He would've expected him to have alien-themed underwear. "I know it's not the smartest idea to be going home right now, that's why I'm just going to get some clothes and head out. I already called my brother, he said I can stay with him for a little while."

Iwaizumi's mouth formed an 'o' shape. "When are you moving in with him?"

"He'll be back in town next week. So, around then." Oikawa clucked his tongue, something suddenly coming to mind. "Oh, I forgot to tell you, I'm going to an udon restaurant with Kuroo after his matches are over. Do you want to come with?"

"Sure." Iwaizumi stood up, changing into some clothes as well. As he was shrugging his jeans-jacket over his hoodie, he looked at Oikawa with an unreadable expression on his face. "You going to be okay? I can come with you when you're at your parent's house."

Oikawa waved his hands in dismissal. "No, no, that's okay. I think that'll just set them off again." He put his hands up over his head, stretching and cracking a couple of joints in the process. At every pop Iwaizumi flinched : ever since Oikawa's knee injury, he's been worried about every little unnatural noise that emitted from his bones and the rest of his body. Iwaizumi didn't want another repeat.

"Why would it set them off? They like me, right?"

"Of course they do. They'll probably assume I told you everything and that you're only there to call the cops on them and stuff." Oikawa shrugged. "Something like that. Don't mind, Iwa-chan."

Iwaizumi pouted a little bit, crossing his arms over his chest. "Fine. Call me if your folks try anything."

Oikawa smiled brightly at him, and it almost seemed like he was glowing. Like he was the sun itself. "Of course, Iwa."

⊱ ─ ‧̥̥͙⋅. ♔ .⋅‧̥̥͙ ─ ⊰

Water lopped at Oikawa's shoes as he started the tedious trek towards home. The faint pshhhhhh reached his ears, the rain splashing in puddles and lifting Oikawa's spirits. Normally, he hates rain since it usually meant practice would end way earlier then it was supposed to, but he liked walking in the rain, he liked the sound and the smell of the fresh dew. 'I should take Iwa-chan to the park next time it rains,' Oikawa thought. 'He'd like it, right?'

Once he reached his fairly-nice home, he shoved the key into the keyhole, jiggling the knob a little so it would unlock. The lock was a little stiff, so it needed a little push now and then. Once the door had swung open, he called out, trying to see if anyone was home. No answer. Good, I don't have to talk to the old man tonight. He skipped to his room, pulling a backpack out from his closet, as well as his gym bag, and starting packing. Clothes, some stuffies Iwa-chan had got him when they were younger, and the award he received back when he was at Kitagawa Daiichi were all set on the bed before he had to set them in the bag. He pulled one of the pillow sheets off of the pillow on his bed, wrapping the fabric around the award carefully. He didn't want it to get scratched or damaged in any other way when it was in his bag. 

He pulled off the sweatshirt and shorts he borrowed from Iwa, dressing up in a white button-up shirt, and a creme-colored vest. He shrugged into a navy-blue suit top, pulling on a pair of brown khakis afterward. 

Oikawa put on a pair of glasses, looking into the mirror and styling his hair a little bit. Not bad. Pulling out his phone, he sent a quick text to Iwaizumi, telling him he was ready to be picked up. The latter replied with a "👍," and Oikawa turned off his phone. He looked around his room a little more, packing up anything he might want to take with him. A photo album, his and Iwa's old shared journal, some picture frames containing priceless memories, and many other little trinkets he was given over the years.

A couple of minutes after he had set everything he wanted to take with him in his bag, he heard a loud honk in his driveway. That must be Iwa-chan!, Oikawa thought, grabbing his backpack and his gym bag, racing to the front door. Sure enough, Iwaizumi's car was parked out front, the man himself leaning on the hood. He perked up once he heard Oikawa's front door click shut, smiling a little bit at the sight before clearing his throat and glaring at the setter.

"About time." He muttered, causing Oikawa to roll his eyes a little. 

"I didn't take that long." The latter retorted, opening the trunk and setting his belongings in carefully. "You waited for like, two minutes."

Iwaizumi scoffed. "So? I still have to pick up Matsukawa and Hanamaki."

"Mm."

The two third-years hopped in the car, putting on their seatbelts. Iwaizumi turned the key fob, making the engine start to sputter before it leveled out, and backed out of the driveway. Oikawa looked at the dash, noticing a phone propped up with the Maps app open and directing him. "You don't know where Makki and Mattsun live?"

"No, of course not. I've never been to either of their houses before." He replied, glancing at Oikawa. "Also, you look nice."

Oikawa turned to face him, his cheeks matching Iwa's. Both boys' faces were flushed, and they both seemed to turn their heads away from each other in unison when they noticed this. "Thanks." Oikawa mumbled a reply, twirling a lock of hair around his index finger. Iwaizumi smiled at this action. It was almost childish, and he was glad Oikawa hadn't changed at much as he thought he did.

"I haven't?" Iwaizumi snapped back to reality as Oikawa said this.

"Huh?"

"You said I didn't change all that much."

Iwaizumi blushed again, scratching the nape of his neck with one hand, the other safely holding the steering wheel of the vehicle. "I said that out loud didn't I?" Oikawa nodded. "Well, you haven't really. You might present yourself differently, but you still act like that annoying, crybaby dumbass I grew up with."

Oikawa huffed, crossing his arms and staring out the window. "You're so rude, you know that?"

"Whatever, Shittykawa."

"And vulgar!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> that was chapter three >:)  
> hope you enjoyed :DD


	4. 00 : 04

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey hey hey !! i found my files >:D  
> i was somehow still able to access my story on quotev ( my account is still disabled :'^ ) and i just copy and pasted everything there onto a google doc !! updates will resume >:DDD

"How in the hell did we manage to get in this situation?" 

Iwaizumi's and Matsukawa's shared thoughts explained the worst possible situation they would be in : they lost Oikawa and Hanamaki.

"Damn, this is bad." Iwaizumi reached for his phone, dialing Oikawa's number for the seventeenth time. Of course, just like the other sixteen times, there was no answer : the call just went straight to voicemail. "He put his goddamn phone on silent, what the hell was he thinking?"

Matsukawa rubbed Iwaizumi's back, supporting his teammate. "I'm sure they're fine. Maybe they went to get food or something." He checked his own phone to see if Hanamaki had read his texts, but his results were the same as Iwaizumi's. "I got no answer from Makki. He probably turned his phone off as well."

Iwaizumi grabbed his own hair, practically tearing it out of his scalp. "Crap, they're really starting to worry the living shit out of me." Matsukawa snorted a little bit, taking Iwaizumi's hands in his own to force him to stop making himself go bald. 

"Look, you need to calm down. If they were in actual danger, the last thing they need is you not thinking straight." Matsukawa flicked Iwaizumi's forehead. "So, just take a deep breath. Breathe with me. In for four, hold for four, and out for four." Iwaizumi matched his breathing with Matsukawa's, and after a couple minutes his mini panic-attack had gone down, and the veins that were popping out of his forehead earlier weren't visible anymore. Muttering a small thanks, he checked his phone again just to see if Oikawa had texted. It was the same as earlier; no answer.

"Hey!" Hanamaki's bright voice rang through both boys' ears. They turned to greet the huge smile plastered on the boy's face. "Sorry about leaving you guys, I got you some food!"

Matsukawa and Iwaizumi both let out a breath they didn't know they were holding. "About time," Matsukawa muttered, opening his arms to give Hanamaki a little hug. "Was 'boutta call the cops on your dumb ass."

Hanamaki scoffed, shoving two paper bags into his friend's arms. "Well, screw you. I even got yours and Iwa's favorite too."

Iwaizumi peaked over Matsukawa's shoulder as the latter opened the crinkled bag. Inside were two foil-wrapped packages, the smell emitting from the wrapping suggesting Hanamaki had bought some food. Iwaizumi reached inside and pulled out one of the packages, opening the foil just a little bit to reveal Matsukawa's favorite food, cheese-filled hamburg steak. 

Matsukawa gasped, taking the food from Iwaizumi's hand and looking at it like it was his lifeline. "Makki, you are a literal angel. God bless. I love you." He took a bite out of the steak, closing his eyes and smiling. "No homo though." He added on in between bites, finishing the meat in under fifteen seconds.

He gave the other bag to Iwaizumi, which held little plastic containers with some agedashi tofu. He inhaled the food's scent, wrinkling his nose a little bit at the sudden waft. It smelled normal, but it wasn't like the tofu Oikawa and his okāsan⭒ used to make. Even though Toorū was a brat about making food for Iwaizumi sometimes, he still managed to cook something up that tasted absolutely fantastic. It kind of scared him.

Iwaizumi pulled out the container, popping the lid open and stabbing a toothpick into one of the tofu pieces, popping it into his mouth. "So, where's Crappykawa?"

Hanamaki shrugged. "Dunno. I think he chickened out." An unamused expression made its way onto Makki's face. "He's probably still pissed about Karasuno beating us, that he didn't want to watch them go against Shiratorizawa."

Matsukawa and Iwaizumi both glanced at each other as Hanamaki stalked off, hands in his pockets and everything. "Sometimes, I really wonder what goes on inside his head."

"Honestly." Matsukawa replied, as they both speed-walked to keep up with Hanamaki. "I've been meaning to ask you, how's 'Kawa doing?"

Iwaizumi stiffened a little at the mention of his friend. A thousand things flew through his head. Should he tell him? Would Oikawa get mad? How would Matsukawa take it? Would he call the cops? Would he believe him? Would he tell Makki?

"You know, if you don't want to answer, you don't have to. Just don't glare at me, you're giving me chills." Iwaizumi snapped back to reality at Matsukawa's words, realizing he was glaring daggers at his friend. He mumbled an 'oh, gomen'nasai ⭒ ,' feeling relieved when Mattsun waved it off like it was nothing. "If it's personal, I get it. I'd be pretty 'pressed too, if I was in his situation."

"Hm? What do you mean?"

Matsukawa sighed, looking up towards the cloudy sky. "Well, Oikawa is an amazing captain, and setter. He tried for three years to make it to Nationals at Seijoh, worked his knee into a brace, and his chances were all swiped out from underneath him." Iwaizumi noticed his fist clenched a little bit, but decided not to mention it. "You know, I don't blame him for hating Kageyama. He was just born gifted, while Oikawa worked his ass off to get to where he is right now."

Iwaizumi nodded, remembering Oikawa's semi-hatred for the first-year Karasuno setter. "But, even so, that doesn't explain why he tried hitting him. You remember that, right?"

"Seriously?" Matsukawa turned his head to stare into Iwaizumi's olive-colored eyes. "I mean, sure, but he was having a panic-attack, if the things you told me and Makki were true."

"A panic-attack?" Iwaizumi looked at Matsukawa in shock. "Shittykawa? Having a panic-attack?"

Hanamaki slowed his pace so that he was walking alongside Iwaizumi and Matsukawa. "Yeah. From what you told us, he was breathing really fast and his pupils were small," he pointed to his own eyes while saying this part. "And he was sweating a lot more than he should have been, since he didn't practice all that much yet. Seeing Kageyama probably triggered his flight or fight response, and made him freak out even more."

Iwaizumi's eyebrows furrowed as the facts dawned on him. It all made sense now, why Oikawa had distanced himself so much more from Kageyama than he did before the incident. He'd avoid him at all costs, making sure he never came too close in contact with his underclassman : probably in fear of coming close to hitting him again. What if Kageyama triggered another panic-attack, and Iwaizumi wasn't there to stop him from doing something he'd regret?

Hanamaki looked at Iwaizumi's expression, clapping him on the back. "Oikawa's come a long way since then. That was what, three years ago?" He intertwined his fingers, flipping his hands and holding his palms to the sky. "He's doing a lot better now, and I'm really proud of him." He flashed a bright smile at them, which nearly blinded Iwaizumi and Matsukawa.

"Aw, man. I should've brought sunglasses." Matsukawa muttered, rubbing his eyes. Hanamaki laughed, slinging his arms around the latter's and Iwaizumi's shoulders. 

"Let's just find some seats. Maybe we'll find Oikawa!"

⊱─ ‧̥̥͙⋅. ♔ .⋅‧̥̥͙ ─ ⊰

Iwaizumi muttered incoherent curse words as he climbed the fourth set of stairs, looking for Oikawa on the right side of the stadium now. "I know he's here. Why the hell is he so hard to find?" He, Hanamaki, and Matsukawa had split up, deciding that it would be easier that way to find the setter quicker and easier if he even decided to watch the match. Iwaizumi was about to give up when he noticed the familiar chestnut-brown tufts of hair that peeked over one of the chairs in the stadium. There he is, Iwaizumi thought, walking up behind his friend.

"Ah. So you're here too."

Oikawa stiffened, turning around abruptly at Iwaizumi's voice, probably expecting his childhood best-friend to yell at him. Fortunately for him, he didn't get that reaction, and he relaxed his shoulders a bit, but was obviously still a little tense. "I thought you said you didn't want to come, since it'll piss you off no matter who won," Iwaizumi said, as he hopped over the back of the chairs to stand next to his friend.

Oikawa smiled slyly, taking his arms off his knees and leaning back into the chair he sat in. "No matter who wins, I'm going to be able to see the faces of whoever loses." 

"Man. You really are a piece of crap." Iwaizumi glanced at Oikawa, who's face now held his "oh so famous" setter pout. It really confused the latter how every setter he saw seemed to make that same face whenever something pissed them off. It was kind of freaky. Pushing his thoughts aside, he sat down just one seat from Oikawa, knowing that he would want a little bit of personal space while dealing with all the crazy emotions going on inside his head.

Oikawa leaned forward in his seat a little bit, his eyes dead set on the so-called "Chibi-Chan." Iwaizumi could've have sworn he saw stars in his eyes, like Oikawa was just taken aback by every move the middle blocker made. Hell, maybe even every breath he took. Iwaizumi watched as the orange-haired ball of energy scored a point, yelling out in triumph. Oikawa seemed to smile with his eyes a little bit, his complexion brightening by the second. It was obvious what team he was mentally rooting for, even if he didn't say so himself.

Oikawa turned to Iwaizumi, probably to say some snotty remark about Ushiwaka, before noticing the latter was staring at him already. Chocolate-colored eyes met olive-colored ones, a blush rising on the setter's face. Oikawa quickly turned his head, his ears noticeably flushed.

Fuck. He's cute.

⊱ ─ ‧̥̥͙⋅. ♔ .⋅‧̥̥͙ ─ ⊰

⭒ dictionary !! ⭒

¶-12 : okāsan, お母さん : an honorific form of address; used to call someone else's mother.

¶-18 : gomen'nasai, ごめんなさい : i'm sorry

** some of the dialogue in this chapter is paraphrased or taken from the actual scene in [ haikyu!! ] . this was not with the intention to pass it off as my own original work : it was only put there to fit the timeline and script of the anime/manga. all rights reserved to haruichi furudate. **


	5. 00 : 05

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oikawa turned to Iwaizumi, probably to say some snotty remark about Ushiwaka, before noticing the latter was staring at him already. Chocolate-colored eyes met olive-colored ones, a blush rising on the setter's face. Oikawa quickly turned his head, his ears noticeably flushed.
> 
> Fuck. He's cute.

Iwaizumi watched the shortie's vast movements, how he practically leapt from place to place on the volleyball court. He scoffed a little bit, amused at his energy. How can something so little move so fast? "Looks like Karasuno's number ten is moving around a lot, like always." 

The latter watched as Oikawa moved forward in his seat, chocolate brown eyes darting from place to place as he followed Chibi-Chan's movements. "Yeah. He's some kind of monster." The whistle blew, signaling a point had been achieved, and Oikawa's eyes stopped to rest on his former underclassman's figure. "However, must be a pain in the ass to have to stick around with that monster, following and adjusting to his every move."

"Mm." Iwaizumi agreed. "Kageyama's getting pretty exhausted, from the looks of it. They're probably going to swap him out to let him rest, and put him back in whenever they need him the most."

Oikawa nodded his head in agreement, pausing to think about something. "Well, that's only if they can make it that far." He pushed his glasses further up his nose, as they were sliding down a bit due to the humidity in the stadium. "That's got to be a bit much for Mr. Refreshing, don't you think?" He set his hands on his knees, squeezing them slightly. This caused Iwaizumi to grimace a little, because of Oikawa's previous knee injury. However, when Oikawa didn't seem to be in any pain, Iwaizumi relaxed.

Ushiwaka jumped in the air, doing one of his famous power serves. Like Oikawa's, it had the strength and power to probably rip someone's arms off, if they had tried hard enough. The ball grazed the top of the net, the interaction slowing the speed of the ball drastically, causing it to start to drop in the middle of Karasuno's court. What the hell is Karasuno's number one doing, Oikawa questioned, as he noticed the latter not moving, even though the ball was just a couple feet in front of him. It was like Daichi was stuck in quicksand, unable to move forward.

Oikawa held his breath, his adrenaline kicking in as he watched Karasuno's libero, Nishinoya save the ball at the last second. It glided over the top of the net, Shiratorizawa's number eight jumping up to hit it right back down in Karasuno's court. Or, so he thought. Nishinoya lifted his arms up to deflect the hit, since he probably would've taken it to the face if he hadn't moved. The contact with the ball caused his body to shift, he practically twisted around. That kind of receive was so simple, yet so skillful that only a libero with the greatest capability could ever hope to pull that off.

Iwaizumi and Oikawa definitely weren't the only ones in shock after watching Nishinoya's receive. Jaws were dropped, the coaches of both Karasuno and Shiratorizawa were completely still. Oikawa crouched with his feet on his seat, trying to get a better look as Iwaizumi just sat there speechless. What in the hell kind of receive did Nishinoya-kun pull off?

The duo continued to watch the match with mixed feelings. Honestly, they didn't really know who to root for. Oikawa said he didn't care who won, he just wanted to see the losing teams' faces of dismay when the reality of their defeat hit them. But was his statement entirely true? Someone was bound to win. That had to amount to something in Oikawa's mind, right? 

Iwaizumi's gaze often flickered to and from the match to rest on Oikawa's features. Of course, he had an excuse. There wasn't a person in the world who could keep their eyes off of the pretty setter- not even Ushiwaka- he was that goddamn beautiful. It was no wonder he had girls from all over the place flying at his feet, just for him to say a couple sentences to them. It pissed Iwaizumi off, to the point where he wasn't sure whether he wanted to punch Oikawa in the face, or the girls.

Seijoh's ace clicked his tongue, turning away from Oikawa to watch the match. Just then, he noticed Karasuno's number-two holding a sign with the number-nine on it, a whistle being blown as Kageyama glanced to the sidelines. His whole aura seemed to darken, as he unwillingly trudged over to the silver-hair male, their hands touching for a couple seconds as Kageyama grabbed the little sign.

"Huh. Guess they really are switching him out." Iwaizumi and Oikawa watched as Kageyama joined the rest of his teammates that weren't currently playing, distancing himself a little bit to do some jumping exercises. He's just like Shittykawa. Never takes a break, even when given one.

Oikawa wrinkled his nose, then let out a soft sneeze. Sniffling and rubbing his nose, he glared at nothing in particular, his thoughts dwindling around mindlessly in his head. 'Someone's definitely talking about me. I can feel it.'

The trio watched the match in silence, focusing on both teams' moves and how the points were being made. It almost seemed like Karasuno was making their points by Shiratorizawa's mistakes, or just getting lucky. Plenty of emotions filtered in and out of everyone in the stadium's heads, practically everyone was leaning in on the edge of their seat. It kind of felt like watching a horror film. The next event to take place is pretty obvious, but yet, you still can't help but feel attentive and wait for the plot to sink in; to wait and see what happens next.

⊱ ─ ‧̥̥͙⋅. ♔ .⋅‧̥̥͙ ─ ⊰

The match continued to take years off of Oikawa and Iwaizumi's lives: the amount of mini heart-attacks they had while watching the teams go against each other was concerning. There were so many amazing plays Karasuno pulled off, that they didn't really seem capable of. Surprisingly, it impressed Oikawa. Nishinoya's receives, the forced line-shot by Karasuno's blockers to get the ball to Nishinoya, Karasuno's beanpole Tsukishima managing to block Ushiwaka, and Shrimpy's low but brutal block.

So, of course, when the match ended, both of Seijoh's members sighed in relief. The amount of pain they went through just by sitting there was indescribable. Oikawa had to admit: the match was well-played. Both sides gave it their all, fighting on and on until the end, and still, Karasuno's shrimpy still had a bucket full of energy left. A sly smile started curling the corners of Oikawa's lips, Iwaizumi glancing at him and smirking a bit. Once Oikawa had snapped out of his little phase, he ushered Iwaizumi along, pushing him out of the stadium.

"We've been here long enough. They won, congratulations. Now let's go, I think I'd rather die then watch the awards ceremony." Oikawa said, trailing behind Iwaizumi as they exited.

Iwaizumi snorted. "You really are a crappy guy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :D  
> another short chapter >:(  
> will upload again if i remember when i get home :'^ im procrastinating in class right now oops


	6. 00 : 06

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "We've been here long enough. They won, congratulations. Now let's go, I think I'd rather die then watch the awards ceremony." Oikawa said, trailing behind Iwaizumi as they exited.
> 
> Iwaizumi snorted. "You really are a crappy guy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> idownloaded that shimeji extension and now i have ranboo helping me write >:)

"Oomph." Oikawa sighed, inhaling the crisp, freshly washed scent of the plain grey bedsheets that covered Iwaizumi's mattress. He grabbed a fistful of the fabric, just breathing in the fumes. He heard the faint pitter patter of rain splashing the windows. The sun had long since hidden behind the clouds, no longer illuminating the planet, instead casting a greyish hue over Japan. It cast sort of a miserable feeling; Iwaizumi and Oikawa were planning on hanging out with Matsukawa and Hanamaki after watching the matches, but the plans were cancelled due to the shitty weather. "Shit. Shit. Shit, shit, shit." Oikawa grumbled, grabbing one of Iwaizumi's pillows and screaming into it. "Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!"

"That's, what, your ninety-seventh shit today?" A muffled voice wafted its' way through to the chocolate-haired boy's ears, as they were currently covered tightly with the soft pillow. Oikawa sat up on his elbows, blinked, and let his face contort into a pout.

Wiping the tears from his eyes, which hadn't streamed down his cheeks yet, he turned away from the latter, huffing. "Yeah, well. You swear all the time. Why can't I?" 

"It's not that you're not allowed to. It's just that you don't." Oikawa felt the bed dip as Iwaizumi sat opposite from him, letting out another puff of air as the green-eyed third year leaned onto his back. Bara arms snaked their way around his somewhat thin waist, reminding him that he hadn't eaten anything, except for the milk bread Hanamaki had bought him earlier today. To prove his point, his stomach growled. Iwaizumi leaned over, propping himself up on one elbow, an eyebrow raised as he looked at his best friend. 

Oikawa sighed, smiling sheepishly. "Sorry. Forgot." He already knew what the other was thinking. Iwaizumi's way of communicating with Oikawa was mainly with his eyes. Those little green orbs that stood out in contrast against caramel skin, connected with honey-brown ones, a wavelength passing through. Unspoken words made a conversation.

Breaking eye-contact, Iwaizumi rolled off the bed, hopping to his feet. "I'll get you something to eat. What'd ya want?" 

"Milk bread?"

"You're addicted. I'm cooking you some curry." The door clicked as Iwaizumi closed it behind him. Oikawa groaned, flipping the latter off once the door had shut.

Iwaizumi knelt down by the cabinets, opening the oak doors and peering inside to look for a pot. A hand reached past Iwaizumi's, grabbing the pot that the latter couldn't find. "Here." Oikawa handed him the pot, and went to sit on a stool at the island counter.

"Huh. I thought you were gonna take a nap." Iwaizumi started, grabbing the curry powder from the top cabinet above the marbled counters. Oikawa shrugged, stretching his arms out and resting his head on the counter.

"I wanted to watch you make my food. I can't have you poisoning me now, can I?" Iwaizumi scoffed at this, his smile decreasing slowly as he heard Oikawa mutter under his breath, "That and I can't sleep without you there with me, nowadays." A blush slowly rose to his cheeks, and the ace slapped himself with both hands, internally groaning. "What, can't find something?" 

Iwaizumi quickly shook his head, grabbing the rest of the ingredients. "No, I got it. Don't mind." 

Oikawa nodded, pulling out his phone to pass the time. A finger hovered over the photo album app he had on his phone, and he clicked it, scrolling through the countless of photos so he could start looking at them at the very beginning. The first picture was the one his teacher took of him holding his award from Kitagawa Daiichi, with Iwaizumi standing behind him, a smile on both of their faces. Oikawa snorted, he never noticed Iwaizumi's smile in the photo before.

"What's so funny?" Iwaizumi asked, while stirring the curry together in a bowl. Padding over to the other side of the kitchen, he leaned over the counter to look at Oikawa's phone. The latter turned it so it was facing Iwaizumi, showing him the iconic memory of their younger selves. "Oh, I remember that. You actually smiled."

"What do you mean? I always smile."

"Not sincerely." Iwaizumi deadpanned, walking over to the stove and turning the knobs. "I said that back in Kitagawa, right?"

Oikawa pondered over this for a moment, before smiling and giving him a kurt nod. "Yeah, you did."

"Anyways." Iwaizumi poured the contents into the pot on the stove, taking out a wooden spoon to scrape out any remaining ingredients. "I've been meaning to ask you."

"Mhm?"

"How long have your parents been hitting you?"

Oikawa stiffened, unable to give him an answer. Iwaizumi turned the knob to low-heat, so the curry wouldn't burn as he gave his full attention to the setter sitting before him. "I'm not stupid. This has been going on for a while, hasn't it?"

"Iwa, it's nothing like that."

"Oikawa." Iwaizumi looked into the brown pools of color, giving him a little smile. "It's okay if you don't want to tell me just yet, but I need to know eventually. I want to help you in any way I can." Oikawa looked down at his slippers, unable to meet his friend's gaze. All he could do was helplessly listen as Iwaizumi assured him he wasn't angry with Oikawa for not being able to tell him, and that everything was alright.

He didn't look up from his slippers until he heard the knob turn, and the familiar sound of a spoon scraping the side of a pot. Letting out a breath he didn't know he was holding, Oikawa watched the muscles in Iwaizumi's back flex as he stirred the curry into a bowl, slicing up some bread to go along with it. "Hey, do you want some lemon as well?"

Oikawa nodded. "I can make it." He padded over to the fridge, pulling out a lemon. Iwaizumi nodded, passing him a bowl and a knife. 

"Don't cut yourself."

"I know, Iwa-chan. I'm not completely helpless in the kitchen, you brute." Oikawa rolled his eyes, slicing the lemon in half and squeezing the juice into the two bowls. He reached up to grab the salt in one of the cabinets, swishing the bowls around once he had added the substance in. He set them next to the curry that now rested on the island counter, the juice inside settling as it stilled. "Ooh, it looks really good."

Iwaizumi nodded. "Yeah, whatever." He shoveled a couple spoonfuls in his mouth as he watched Oikawa clasp his hands together, thanking Iwaizumi for the food before actually taking a bite himself. Oikawa winced as the sudden motion of him opening his still bruised jaw sent waves of pain through his nerves, but the curry sitting in his mouth and sliding down his throat made up for that. 

"Whoa. What did you put in this? It's almost like it's healing me." Oikawa smiled with his eyes closed, clearly in euphoria. Iwaizumi shrugged, lopping another spoonful of curry into his mouth.

"It's a recipe my mother made. It has some herbs and spices that are supposed to relieve pain and stress, so I added some extra into it. It's not too spicy, is it?"

Oikawa shook his head, breaking off a piece of bread and dipping it into the lemon sauce, then into the curry. "Nope, tastes amazing."

"Good."

The two sat in silence as they ate, finishing the curry in under fifteen minutes. Oikawa had offered to wash the dishes, but Iwaizumi sent him a glare before grabbing the bowls out of the latter's hands and started to rinse them himself. As he washed the curry off the bowls, Oikawa collapsed onto the couch, mindlessly scrolling through TV channels. He tuned in to an extra-terrestrial documentary, watching profusely as Iwaizumi continued washing the dishes. Once the latter had finished, he dried his hands and plopped down next to Oikawa, grabbing a fluffy off-white blanket and flinging it over them. Both boys subconsciously snuggled closer to each other, their body heat combining.

Iwaizumi looked over at Oikawa a couple times as the documentary played. Occasionally, when an especially interesting moment popped up on the television, the setter would let out a small gasp between his pursed lips. He did that a couple times, and Iwaizumi couldn't help but grow fond of the facial expression the latter made in that moment. The sheer excitement vibrating off of Oikawa's face brightened Iwaizumi's mood, making the corners of his lips tilt upwards slightly.

⊱ ─ ‧̥̥͙⋅. ♔ .⋅‧̥̥͙ ─ ⊰

"Mattsun, I just don't know what's going on." Iwaizumi pinched the bridge of his nose, Oikawa sound asleep beside him as he conversed on the phone with the other third-year. "I- just- what the hell?"

Matsukawa let out a breath, lips pursed. Iwaizumi could almost see the smirk forming on the latter's face, even if he was about a couple neighborhoods away from him. "Yeah, man, you're completely and utterly whipped."


	7. 00 : 07

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matsukawa let out a breath, lips pursed. Iwaizumi could almost see the smirk forming on the latter's face, even if he was about a couple neighborhoods away from him. "Yeah, man, you're completely and utterly whipped."

"So, tell me," Hanamaki stretched out on the table, smiling innocently at Iwaizumi. "When did all your feelings for our beloved captain start?" 

Iwaizumi deadpanned. "You know, I didn't agree to come here for you to jump to conclusions, Takahiro." He growled, making Makki erupt in a fit of giggles. 

"Oh, first name basis now, are we?" He managed to say in between his hiccups. He swirled the straw around his sugarcane drink, taking a tiny sip, his beady grey eyes not leaving Iwaizumi's dilated green ones. "Eh, well, if you're not going to answer that question, how about this; when did you start to feel," Hanamaki gestured towards Iwaizumi drastically, flailing his hands a little bit, "whatever you're feeling, towards Oikawa?"

Iwaizumi clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, holding his black coffee in the safety of his calloused hands. "I'm. I'm not quite sure."

"Well that's not surprising." Matsukawa plopped down on the seat next to Makki, propping his feet up on the empty chair on the opposite side of him. "You've always acted sort of weird towards him, since the day I met you two. If I hadn't known any better, I'd say you were feeling this way since you were in Kitagawa Daiichi."

Hanamaki put a finger to his chin, lost in thought. "Maybe, or maybe it started even earlier than that. We'll have to talk to Oikawa and see how you acted towards him in Kitagawa." Iwaizumi stiffened a little at the mention of Oikawa, and Makki let out another laugh. "Don't worry, we won't tell him anything about your little sexuality crisis. We're bad, but we're not horrible people, Iwaizumi." 

"Yeah, I'm not too sure about that." Iwaizumi retorted, smiling a little as both Mattsun and Makki clamped a hand to their chests, acting out a very exaggerated heart attack.

"The betrayal. Makki, I don't think I can go on." 

"Me neither, Mattsun. May the gods avenge our poor, poor souls."

"Oh, save it." Iwaizumi snapped, taking a swig of his coffee. It burned his tongue and his throat quite a bit, but it wasn't too painful. It gave him energy from the burning sensation. He set the mug down on the table, wringing his hands together. "Has Oikawa talked to you about anything concerning, recently?"

Matsukawa and Hanamaki glanced at each other, turned back to Iwaizumi and shook their heads. "Is this about the bruises on his face?" Makki asked, lowering his voice drastically. When Iwaizumi nodded in response, Hanamaki let out a little "tch." "I would've expected him to tell you everything by now, but obviously not. Do we know what happened?"

"Yeah, apparently his old man hit him after we lost to Karasuno. He told me that much, but he didn't tell me how long it's been going on, or if he's done it in the past." Iwaizumi said, tapping his foot quickly. "Stupid Shittykawa, not telling anyone anything. What kind of stupid logic is that?"

"Unfortunately, all we can do is wait." Matsukawa sighed, leaning his head on his hand. "He covered the bruises up with makeup or whatever when he went to the match with Shiratorizawa and Karasuno, and he did a pretty good job with it. Who knows how long he's been covering stuff up from us. There's no way to tell."

Hanamaki nodded, smiling grimly. "Yeah. The only way we'll ever find out anything is if he tells us himself." The pink-haired spiker paused- then leaned forward towards Iwaizumi. "Is he staying with you?"  
Iwaizumi nodded. "Yeah. He only went back to his house once, to get his stuff before the match." He thought back to that day, trying to remember if Oikawa had sported any new bruises. "I don't think his parents were there. He didn't take long to get out after I pulled in the driveway, and he looked decent."  
"Then he should be fine. If you can, make sure he stays with you as long as possibly until his brother comes back to have him move in with him. That's the safest choice for 'Kawa." Makki leaned back in his chair, looking behind Iwaizumi at the scenery. The café they were in had these huge clear windows at the entrance, and had a great view of the other shops and restaurants surrounding the building. "Oh, hey look, there's a little pet shop. Wanna check that out once we're done here?"  
"Why?" Iwaizumi asked, taking another sip of his coffee. Mattsun and Makki stared at him, silently judging him for asking the question. "What?"

Matsukawa shook his head, swiping Makki's drink and taking a huge swig, despite the latter's protests. "You're a strange man, Iwaizumi. Who wouldn't want to see the animals and pet cute dogs?"

"And cats~" Hanamaki added, after successfully taking back his drink. "Ooh, and hamsters. They're so cute, with their little fat cheeks."

"And butts."

"And stubby tails."

"And-"

"Okay, I get it, just shut up." Iwaizumi groaned, rubbing his temples. Those two could seriously bring on a major headache when they tried. "Fine, we can go. Just please, be quiet, would you?"

The trio quickly finished up their food and left a decent tip on the table for the waitress. Makki and Mattsun bolted out the door with Iwaizumi yelling at them to calm down. One the latter caught up to the weird duo, he bonked them both on the back of their hands, smiling that smile he used when he was pissed at someone (usually Oikawa witnessed this smile the most), sending shivers down both of their spines.

"I know you're excited, but try not to get run over. You almost ran right into the goddamn street." Iwaizumi muttered, nudging them along. "Now move, the pet store's right there."

⊱ ─ ‧̥̥͙⋅. ♔ .⋅‧̥̥͙ ─ ⊰

Oikawa sighed, swiping away the sheen line of sweat that coated his forehead, making him look almost glossy, like a doll. He had finally gotten away from the two kids that kept holding the kittens the wrong way, like they were toys. An all but familiar groan emitted from behind him, the weight of Nekoma’s captain and middle blocker leaning onto the latter’s back.

“Hey, Tetsu-chan.” Oikawa smiled, reaching behind him to pat the unruly bedhead hair. 

Kuroo hummed in response, getting up from his position and sitting down next to his coworker. “Remind me again why we let little kids in here?” 

The two giggled, wincing at the motion since their twin headaches hadn’t eased up yet. “I need like, two coffees.”

“And I need fifteen. You’re not special.”

Oikawa gasped, feigning a heart attack, all dramatic with his hand clutching the area where his heart was. “Rude, Tetsu-chan!” The bed-headed male laughed, clapping the Aoba Johsai member on the back. 

“Chill. It’s just a joke. Of course you’re special, oh ‘great king,’” Kuroo teased, smiling as Oikawa groaned at the use of Hinata’s nickname for him. “Now, c’mon, break’s over.”

“Yessir.” Oikawa got up and stretched out his knee, cursing under his breath a little. After his injury, he had never fully healed, and still experienced some pain coming from it if he had his leg bent a certain way for too long. Kuroo turned to look at him, nodding at his knee. Oikawa, who got the memo, waved him off. “I’m fine, I’ll be there in a second.”

Kuroo nodded. “Alright.” He stalked off, probably to look after the kids in the “meet-the-pets” area. 

Oikawa stretched for a little longer, then got up after deeming he had been away long enough. He strided over to where Kuroo was effortlessly separating the little kids from the poor animals, who were probably traumatized from the screams and cries of the children. Kuroo, sensing the setter’s presence, looked up in a plea for help, practically begging him to calm down the animals. Oikawa let out a soft “tsk”, shaking his head and walking over to rid Kuroo of the stress.

Bending down, he pressed his forehead to a shaking samoyed puppy, who seemed to be the most nervous out of all the animals that fell victim to the trauma that came with demonic five-year-olds. Oikawa reached a hand out to thumb at the puppy’s ears, earning a little yelp of happiness from the ball of white fluff. Whispering sweet, calming words to Kumo, he had her tail wagging in less than thirty seconds, the nervousness that was once apparent before turned out to be gone now. The puppy now had the little bounce in her step back, and she lapped up the sweat on Oikawa’s brow, earning a laugh from the boy. 

Kuroo whistled, nodding his head towards the pretty puppy. “You know, you’re insanely good with animals. Did you have one growing up?”

“Yeah, a dog. Her name was Aimi.” Oikawa smiled sadly, fumbling with his hands that now lay in his lap. “She died when I was three, before I met Iwa-chan.”

“Oh.” Kuroo looked at the boy, guilty for bringing up such harsh memories. Oikawa noticed this, and shook his head wildly. 

“Ah, don’t look at me like that Tetsu-chan! It was a long time ago, so it doesn’t hurt much anymore!” His face erupted in one of his award-winning smiles, his pearly whites flashing at Kuroo. 

Kuroo shrugged. “If you say so.”

“Oikawa?” Oikawa turned at the mention of his name, his mouth parting as he let out a soft gasp. Behind Kuroo stood Hanamaki, Matsukawa, and the ever so lovely Iwa-chan, all three of them staring at the latter.

“Oh, Makki! Mattsun! Iwa-chan!” Oikawa yelped, standing up quickly and padding over to the trio. “What are you guys doing here?”

Iwaizumi tsked. “I could ask you the same question, Assikawa.” 

“What did I ever do to you?” Oikawa shrieked, crossing his arms in a pout. Iwaizumi smiled fondly, shaking his head when Matsukawa elbowed his side, letting him know what kind of facade he was putting on. 

Kuroo cleared his throat from behind him, standing up and slinging an arm over Oikawa. “Mind enlightening me on your friends?”

“Oh!” Oikawa clasped his hands together, pointing to each person as he introduced them. “This is Makki, this is Mattsun, and this is Iwa-chan!” They all let out a small “hey” as Oikawa said their names. “Oh, and this is Tetsu-chan! He goes to Nekoma!”

“Ah, Karasuno’s greatest rival.” Matsukawa said, crossing his arms over his chest. “You play volleyball?”

“Yep. Middle blocker.”

“Hey, same here.”

The two of them hit it off instantly, Kuroo having long since let go of Oikawa’s shoulders. Iwaizumi turned to the latter, taking in his uniform and his brown locks, which was currently pulled into a small ponytail. “Wait, you work here?”

“No, I just stole their uniform. Duh, I work here!” Oikawa rolled his eyes, picking up a little kitten that had started nipping at his ankles. “Mazi-chan, don’t do that. No biting.” He booped the kitten’s nose with his own, earning a little mewl from the animal.

Iwaizumi must have looked at the kitten for too long, because before he knew it, he had the little ball of fur in his arms, and was cradling it like a baby.

“Aw, Iwa-chan likes Mazi-chan!” Oikawa laughed softly, a faint blush dusting his cheeks, leaving them a rosy-pink kind of color. “Wouldn’t peg you for an animal-loving kind of guy, Iwa.”

Iwaizumi rolled his eyes, bopping Oikawa’s head, careful not to mess up his hair. “Shut up. Of course I love animals, more than you, at least.”

“Mean, Iwa-chan!” Oikawa turned to tend to Kumo, who was now bounding around at his feet. He bent down, giving her a bunch of soft little kisses. Oh, to be Kumo. Oikawa sighed with a certain amount of sadness in his tone. “I wish I still had Aimi, Iwa-chan.”

“Who’s Aimi?”

“You never met her.” Oikawa sat back on his heels, adjusting the weight he had on his knees. “She died before I met you. She was my dog. It's so lonely without a pet, to be honest. I know I have friends I can just call and bother but,” Oikawa paused, probably to figure out how to phrase his next sentence without offending Iwaizumi. "it's nice not having to pick up my phone whenever I feel all hot and bothered. It's nice having a dog."

Iwaizumi nodded, noticing the amount of fondness Oikawa had with Kumo, the puppy that had decided to relocate itself to the latter’s lap. “Why don’t you just get that one?”

“Oh, Kumo?” Oikawa shook his head. “She deserves better. You know what’s going on with me and my family right now, and I can’t put the stress of having a puppy on my brother, Iwa-chan.”

Iwaizumi formed an “o” with his mouth, setting the kitten down in the little enclosed area Oikawa was currently situated in. He thought for a minute, then nudged his best friend with his shoulder. "Oi, Shittykawa."

"We have got to talk about your nicknames. I didn't even do anything!"

"Do you just want to stay with me permanently?"

Oikawa did a whole 180, chocolate and pine orbs meeting. "Like, live with you?"

"Yeah. We always wanted to live together when we were younger. Why not start now?" 

"But.. Iwa-chan, wouldn't it be better to not have to live with your best friend? What if you get annoyed and kick me out? I don't want that." 

Iwaizumi groaned, smacking Oikawa upside the head, earning a little "hey!" in response. "I won't kick you out, stupid. I may hate you, but I don't hate you." Oikawa snickered at his poor word choice, getting another smack. "I'm not a dick. If I get mad I'll just take away the remote so you can't watch those god awful K-Dramas." 

Oikawa gasped, hitting his Iwa-chan on the arm lightly. "Iwa! K-Dramas are amazing, are you feeling okay?"

"You can't even understand the language."

"You can't understand what Godzilla's actually saying either when he roars so how's that any different?"

"It's totally different! You're not supposed to understand him!"

"That's not different at all! You really are sick!"

"Shut up, damn it!"

**Author's Note:**

> hey hey hey you made it this far :0  
> hope you enjoyed !! ill try updating soon !! maybe tmr /gen  
> <33 kudos nd comments are appreciated !!


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